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i’ll be honest, weeks leading to my trip to Barcelona in fall 17, i was quite nervous as in what to expect on the streets due to catalonian referendum and the upheaval that followed. i imagined being caught in the midst of molotov cocktails being thrown around, buses lit on fire or military tanks rolling by to intimidate protesters – yes, i admit i blame my OD imagination on years of hollywood indoctrination of my mind with war movies and political dramas and i’m happy to write that during my short stay in this super chill city, i simply witnessed a group of protesters singing beautifully to free prisoners from Madrid government in the shopping district of las ramblas. & that is my cue to rant a little; unless you are a shopaholic, it is safe to not include las ramblas in your itinerary — that hood reminded me of retail nightmare that is 34th street – herald square. there is nothing catalonian about this entire commercial district, most brands are american, most stores here including restaurants are either playing elvis presley or american top 40. like excuse me if i don’t like seeing american shit on my travels abroad, i hail from new york city, i travel so i can escape the normalcy.

protestors singing peacefully at las ramblas

it was quite a smooth journey from the airport to greater el born neighborhood where i stayed. i hopped onto the aerobus/shuttle bus towards plaza catalunya and got off there to walk a scenic 15 minutes towards ronda sant pere. the landmark arc de triomf, some good cafes, restaurants and 24hour deli made up the radius so all necessities i needed was a walking distance away. past couple of years in my limited travels, i have learned that it is key to choose a neighborhood that compliments a traveler’s character.

chic dining area & me chilling at the balcony

arc de triomf

night stroll around arc de triomf

as a passionate foodie traveler, i hunt for good food wherever i go. barcelona didn’t disappoint – well with the exception of that one time when i ordered soft tortillas and there was a mix-up. i tried catalonian tapas at a joint called granja la catalana — had prawns (weird aftertaste) with lemon+mayo and tiny lamb chops (very flavorful & juicy). i feasted on meat+seafood paella at bontapa and tried stuffed potatoes for tapas — the latter tasted like alu’r chops, a popular delicacy in the bangali cuisine. i ordered soft tortillas one time choosing the option of a ‘platter’ and not a wrap, but was served the saddest-looking fried egg instead. that was quite a bummer but i was so drunk on estrellas that i didn’t even care to complain to the waiting staff.

vanilla latte

catalonian tapas – prawns & lamb

tapas – stuffed potatoes with minced meat & fried potatoes

meat & seafood paella

saddest looking eggs

barcelona eats

as a person with deep interest in history, architecture and art, visiting antoni gaudi’s creations were clearly on my itinerary. i started off the gaudi-journey with a visit to park guell first and then to the magnificent la sagrada familia; the latter being one of those peak experiences of my life. to reach park guell from las ramblas, i hopped onto green line L3 metro towards trinitat nova and got off at vallcarca stop. the walk to the high altitude entrance to passatge de sant josep de la muntanya in park guell was an interesting, long one with many short breaths.

two escalators to reach the top & view of the long steep walk

upon entry to park guell, i was expecting artistic brilliance and grandeur of sorts but walking around the sandy path, i was accosted by whimsical, playful creations. the intricate mosaic tile work and stonework at the terrace were my favorites and the rest of the park seemed more like walking around alice in wonderland.

the terrace walls

mosaic tile work

me & el drac

i’m still kinda on a rut on how to process my experience at park guell other than feeling that the overall architecture was underwhelming and highly overrated. i know i need phd in gothic art and modernista to criticize gaudi’s work but hey, calling it like it is – i wasn’t feeling the whole hoopla. oooopsie! anyways, i couldn’t wait to get out of park guell fast enough and head towards la sagrada familia since i was slated for 430pm visiting time slot. walking to metro station from park guell is a solid 20 minutes at normal pace and the train ride is another 10 minutes. i’d also recommend getting an audio guide to know the history and background of gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece and spain’s most revered cathedral.

exterior – the intricate artwork & statues are magnificent

interior – when all our senses & emotions are engulfed in awe

“the sun is the finest painter” – antoni gaudi

the sacrifice of christ

when i walked into la sagrada familia, i was enthralled. i wanted to get rid of my bag, my gadgets & sit on the floor, stare up into the arch and dome while taking it all in. the art, the genius, the seriousness of gaudi’s devotion to his faith is absolutely infinite. christianity and all the noble deeds and sacrifices of christ seemed to be the guiding light and inspiration behind every nook of storytelling here and one does not need to be religious or secular to feel the power displayed all over. i was here for a good few hours because i was in barcelona primarily to visit the grand unfinished finale of gaudi’s life as an artist. To quote the narrator on my audio guide, la sagrada familia is the “unique expression of christian faith rendered in stone.”

what’s the difference between arc de triomf in barcelona & paris?

other observations of this chic city – catalonians are soo damn beautiful! street fashion there is really off the charts. women and men of all ages are dressed impeccably from head to toe. i seriously could have easily people watched for hours & i’d bet my kidneys that not one single ensemble would have been a disappointment. barcelona was the first city i visited in spain and i learnt pretty quick that spaniards have a staring problem – whether i was riding in the metro, or shopping at some store or walking around aimlessly, people there stare at you, checks out your outfit and to my surprise, usually smiles at you. so yeah, i learnt to respond with ‘hola’ numerous times just because i felt like it was the nice thing to do & i don’t mind adhering to different etiquette.

one of the mishaps i did have was i couldn’t find my way to gothic quarters, my GPS failed me. i took the train to universitad zone and after walking back & forth next to a highway, i had to take the train back to el born because i was just confused & really lost. also, i didn’t want to be walking around at nighttime with a perplexed look on my face so yeah, i kinda chickened out and returned to my safety zone. but one day, i do plan to return to barcelona to visit monteserrat and gothic quarters, preferably at daytime. until next time, gracias barcelona for introducing me to estrellas & shout-out to the 24hr delis for making a girl from queens feel at home.

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While I was having the time of my life traveling in Europe, I had received quite a few messages from women acquaintances or/and friends with a spectrum of reactions and questions.

“Who did you go with?”

“Why did you go?”

“Are you seriously traveling alone?”

“What tragic heartbreak led you to to embark on this journey?”

“How do you have the courage to do this?”

I ignored some and responded to few though with a side order of major annoyance. I wish the curiosity or nosiness could have been positive, lighthearted and more like “Tell me about your favorite cuisine” or “What was your favorite city?” because as an inquisitive mind myself, I’d think those are normal inquiries. But alas, I was stuck with a thorny end of a stick and the forever condescending tone that made me cringe and roll my eyes. Let’s be clear on a few things — I’m a grown ass, independent woman with an adventurous mind and when I want to do shit, I go ahead and do it. I don’t need to ask anyone and most importantly I don’t give two rats ass about sheeps opinions who are just robotic victims to their cultural and societal mores. I have varied interests and choose to do things that are organic, cool, inspiring and sings to my soul. I don’t follow, I don’t lead, I create my own path and I live for me. Traveling to me is a religion that has recently been awakened and because I understand the power of a passport, I plan to visit as many cities as possible, explore food and cultures, dwell in their histories and create memories that enlighten my mind, body, heart and soul.

I got immune pretty quick to the negativities I was objected to; i guess it would be a matter of pride and manhood if I had a penis instead but since I’m a woman, my choices should be cross-examined, pitied or felt sorry for. When planning, I seriously lack the patience to rely on friends/family to book tickets or argue with me on itinerary details; and I’m not sorry that I have the utmost freedom to wake up whenever I want in different cities, eat and drink whatever the hell I want and visit as many landmarks & museums I can without hearing groans, complains or how boring all these shenanigans can be. I’m very comfortable with myself and most importantly, I love and trust myself that I would no other. I didn’t have the time in my travels to be sad, feel lonely or wallow in despair because I was too carefree, running from one spot to another and simply in love with the different airs I breathe.

To answer the lame questions above, it doesn’t really matter who I travel with or why I chose to travel or what consequences made me travel because end of the day, this is my life, my rules, my reality. I will do me and people may continue hating or burning up in envy but I also hope that deep down, someone gets inspired and maybe live a little? or maybe not, who cares because these judgemental opinions won’t faze me and while all that yapping fades to echoes, I’ll still have the look that clearly says #ByeFelicia.